Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1887-10-24
A Singular Story.

A great sensation was caused re-
Gently by the publication of a story
which purported to clear up the mys-
terry of the bank robbery at Dexter,
Maine, in 1878. A young man nam
ed Charles Francis Stain made con-
fessiOn to a reporter, declaring his
full knowledge of the murder of Cash
Ter Barron and fixing the guilt upon
his father and several others. The
father, David L. Stain, and Oliver
Cromwell and j. Arnold Andrews
were arrested for completely in the
robbery and murder. but the latter
showed an alibi and was released.
The known facts concerning the rob-
berry are that one morning in Februa-
~, 1878, the cashier, j. W. Barron,
was found in the treasure-vault gag
ged, bound and dying. His head was
covered with CHASTITY wounds, and he
died before he could tell the story of
the crime. AS no clue was found to
the perpetrators, the story was start
ed that Barron had committed suicide
in order to cover up financial irregu-
larities. 1t appears that the robbers
did not secure much money from the
vault, though its contents were valu-
81 Sfoi,7c
the robbers had a severe encounter
with the cashier in the bank, and af-
ter they struck him with a slung-shot
they gagged and bound him and car
ried him into the vault. The nara
tor SAYS: 1.-The great iron door of
the safe was open, but neither father
nor Cromwell dared to make an ex-
animation of the contents of the
vault. They hastily closed the door.
Father drew BarrOn's keys from his
pocket and unlocked the money
drawer in the front room of the bank.
He gathered up what loose money
there was there, amounting to a little
less than $500. and thrust a 5000
bond, which was lying in the drawer,
into his pocket" 1t is pretended
that the robbers became alarmed and
left the bank without taking their ex-
pected booty. This story finds some
believers, among whom is the bank
examiner. On the other hand, Hon.
j. H. Drummond, counsel for the
Dexter Savings Bank, says that
Stains story is pure fiction, and
points out many statements that are
inconsistent with the facts in the case.
Even Mrs. Barron's lawyer pronounc-
es the story a doubtful one.
The story Of young Stain, as given
to the press, is different from the
confession made by him several weeks
ago in jail. The latter is a much
more consistent and creditabIe mar
rative. In the former Stain is made
to say that he drove the burglars to
the scene of operations at Dexter,
Maine, on the fatal February 22d,
1878. As matter of fact, Stain
was at that time snugly reposing in
the Androscoggin county jail, charg-
ed with DEMONSTRATING, for which of
fence he was subsequently tried and
sentenced to three years in the state
prison. From the original confession
it appears that he did not claim to
have taken part in the raid on the
bank, but had received his fathers
confession after his own discharge
from prison. Whether his statements
concerning the Dexter bank affair are
true of not, it is developed that the
parties that he has implicated are a
bad lot, being charged with several
atrocious crimes. The elder Stain is
alleged to have killed two of his
wives, committed three other MUIR
ders, burned a church, a mill and his
own house, and engaged with a gang
in counterfeiting, smuggling and IL